Everlasting
by AnGeL70
Summary: Shadow Hearts II. A small moment that could have happened in Nihonbashi that would have a big impact on the lives of two people. Kurando x Lucia one-shot.


Everlasting

Disclaimer: I do not own Shadow Hearts, as much as I'd like to.

Author's Note: It's been a while since I've written something, but sometimes you get an idea in your head and just have to write it out. I should really be doing homework right now instead. Hehehe, oh well. Anyways, I'm one of those people who gets really bored of the common pairings really, really quickly. So that's why I like to think up different ones. If you don't enjoy those and like the common ones, then they're quite easy to find. I'm not the best at romance, but I was just playing the game and I just had this idea suddenly. So I'm trying to get it out as best I can. Enjoy

They saved my life by bringing me home after the kidnapping of my masters daughter. I had been shot, wounded, and then everything went black. I didn't even get to see my saviors until the next morning when I awoke. Along with the wolf that had helped me out before, there were six others. I was introduced to them all. Yuri, Karin, Joachim, Gepetto, Anastasia, and…her. The fortuneteller, Lucia. The first thought that entered my mind when I laid eyes on her was '_she's beautiful_.' Nothing more, nothing less. Even when my mind was so focused on the matter at hand, I was still able to pause a moment and acknowledge her beauty.

They all came to help me rescue the princess, out of the goodness of their hearts. We split up into two teams to search the battle ship for her. Lucia had joined me on my team along with Blanca and Anastasia. We didn't get a chance to talk much then, as the situation called for swift remedy. Yet she amazed me with her magic. So graceful, so powerful. Her command over the dark spells was clearly her strong point. And yet through it all she remained so cheerful and high-spirited. She kept the whole morale of the group alive.

The mission had easily been a success. I returned back with the princess, and later on my master went to free the others from the ship. They agreed to help out even more by accompanying us to the foreigner's graveyard. It was there that we became trapped in some otherworld by a demon named Garan. She witnessed my true powers there as I morphed into a demon. And I was powerless to stop myself from attacking them. They stopped me, luckily, and all was as it was once we defeated Garan and returned back to the Imperial Capital of Nihonbashi. And there, my life changed forever…

My master had explained to Yuri that he had known his father. He was a little distraught by that, so Karin took Yuri out for a walk in the city to get his mind off of things. Gepetto and Lucia wanted to do a little shopping as well, so Blanca and I tagged along. Once out in the streets, Gepetto and Blanca went their separate ways, leaving me alone with Lucia for the first time.

The sun was only beginning to set, painting the sky a brilliant orange. It seemed to give her this glow, making her all the more radiant in my eyes. I watched silently as she ran from one window to the next, eagerly pointing out all of the items that interested her. Her fascination with my culture couldn't keep the smile off of my lips.

"Kurando, look at this! It's so cute!" she said excitedly as she picked up a small, porcelain figure for closer inspection. I couldn't help but chuckle at the disappointed look that crossed her face when she discovered the price. The smile wasn't absent from her face for long as she instantly perked up and moved on to the next stand.

"It's getting late, perhaps we should try to find the others," I suggested quietly. It's not that I wasn't enjoying her company; I was just getting a little nervous. I had never had time for relationships as my bodyguard duties kept me quite busy. Yet I had never met a woman like her before. I was so conflicted. She wasn't about to give in to me so easily, though.

"What are you talking about? It's still light out! Come on, you said the parks are really pretty around here, so show me!" She took hold of my hand, flashing me that winning smile. I couldn't say no to that, so I lead her through the streets. It was true that Nihonbashi was home to some very beautiful parks, and there were many close by. I didn't see the harm in taking her to one. She seemed to be one who really enjoyed nature. We entered the park, her face lighting up as she wandered over to one of the flowerbeds and crouched down, inhaling their sweet scent. "Mmm, just like my garden back home," she said happily. I then realized that I really didn't know anything about her at this point. After all we had been through together so far, I knew nothing apart from her name and her abilities. I followed her over to the flowerbed, standing behind her as she continued to admire the colourful petals.

"If you don't mind me asking Lady Lucia, where is it that you are from?" I asked, casually. She turned to look up at me.

"Me? I live back in Florence, Italy with my teacher, Carla. Although it's been awhile since I've been able to go back there. Ever since I started this little adventure with Yuri and everyone." She stood up and worked her way over to another bed of flowers. I followed slowly.

"I've heard of Florence. It's architecture is supposed to be breathtaking," I commented. She smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, it's really pretty." She walked over to the bench and sat down, pulling out her deck of tarot cards and shuffling them. "Sit down," she said, motioning to the spot beside her. I did, ever so slowly and awkwardly. I sat down about a foot away from her, but all she did was inch closer, holding the deck out to me. "Cut the cards with your left hand." I reached out and did so. She eagerly grabbed the card off the top and looked at it. She began giggling, and looking over the top of it at me. My curiosity aroused, I tried to look at it, but she kept it close to her chest, away from my eyes. She then held up a finger and wagged it in front of me. "Silly Kurando, you're having some romantic thoughts, aren't you?" she asked me with a grin. I felt the heat rise instantly in my cheeks and I turned away.

"Wh-what do you mean, Lady Lucia?" I asked, trying my best to keep from stammering. I was unsuccessful. She turned the card around, revealing that it was the Lovers card. My face turned a deeper shade of crimson.

"So tell me, who's the lucky girl? Does she live around here?" she asked, leaning in closer to me. I could now smell the sweet perfume that she wore, a mix of flowers and the scented oils she carried around. I inhaled deeply without even realizing it, keeping my face towards the ground.

"There's no girl," I said quietly. "I don't have time to for girls." To my surprise she laughed. I looked up at her to see what she found so humourous.

"You need to get out and meet someone then. A great guy like you shouldn't be alone." '_A great guy like me?_' I thought. '_Does she really think that about me?_' I just had to ask.

"Why do you say that, Lady Lucia?" She giggled again.

"Well, you're really sweet, caring, loyal. I can see all that from the way you look after mister Kawashima and his daughter. You would do anything for them, even put aside your own life," she said, giving me a sideways glance. "Plus you're really cute" she added with a smile. My whole face burned now, and I was sure that it was completely red, as if I had been sunburned.

"Th-thank you Lady Lucia," I stuttered, turning my face away from her. Even though I wasn't facing her, I could sense that she had leaned in closer.

"See? You're really polite to. You can call me Lucia, you know."

"Okay, Lady Lucia." This caused her to giggle even harder. The sound of her laugh was so nice to hear in such troubled times. So pure and full of joy. I had to see what she looked like when she laughed like that. I turned to face her. Her eyes were closed, her full lips drawn up into a genuine smile. I just sat there, mesmerized. I didn't even notice that she had stopped laughing and was just sitting there, watching me watching her. I don't know how long we sat there like that. It was Lucia who finally blushed and turned away. She put her cards away and stood up, stretching her arms in the air. The moment broken, I came out of my trance and stood up along with her.

"Come on, let's get back before it gets too dark," she said quickly as she headed for the entrance of the park. I followed slowly, my thoughts swimming around frantically in my head. It suddenly occurred to me that what I felt for her was not simply admiration and gratitude. It was something else. Something I had never quite felt before. An old saying entered my head then. "Love at first sight." Could this be what was happening to me? She was waiting for me by the gate, looking down the empty street. "Hey Kurando," she suddenly asked. "Do you think I'm pretty?" Her question caught me off guard but I was determined to answer truthfully.

"No Lucia, I think you're beautiful. In fact, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." She smiled at me, the happiest smile I had ever seen grace her lips. She took a step towards me.

"Thank you Kurando," she said honestly, glancing down at her hands. "I just needed to hear that from someone who wasn't only interested in my body." Her words shocked me.

"I'm sorry? I'm afraid I don't quite understand." She looked up at me, shaking her head slightly and chuckling at my naïve response.

"When you're a dancer, it's bound to happen. Men just like to watch me dance, so they can stare at my body and get their fortune told. They don't care what I have to tell them, or about me at all." She now looked me directly in the eyes, her sapphire orbs meeting my ruby ones. "But I know you're different. I can tell things like that about people. And so that's why I said that any girl of yours is a lucky one." I continued looking into her eyes, listening intently to her heartfelt speech. I had no idea that she experienced things like this. With her personality, I never would've guessed that inside she truly felt so unloved, that she was just an object to be enjoyed.

"I'm sorry Lucia, I didn't know." She held a finger to my lips to stop me as she shook her head.

"You don't need to be sorry at all. Just being able to spend time with a nice guy like you has given me hope that there are other nice guys out there. And who knows, I may even find one someday." That familiar grin returned to her lips, yet I knew her feelings hadn't changed. I wanted nothing more at this point than to hold her, to offer some sort of comfort. As she removed her finger from my lips, I could tell that she was about to step away and begin to walk home. Having no control over my body, I reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her body against mine. She didn't resist as my arms slid around her, pressing her closer to me.

And to my surprise, her arms found their way around my waist as she leaned her cheek against my shoulder. My one hand stayed pressed against her back while the other one found its way to her head. Her hair was so soft to the touch, and it smelled so good. "You don't have to look any further, Lucia," I whispered to her as I stroked her hair. "I'm right here." As soon as these words left my mouth, she had lifted her head and pressed her lips against mine. Her arms wrapped themselves around my neck as she pushed herself against me.

Out of shock, I didn't respond at first. It didn't take me long to regain my senses as I closed my eyes and returned the kiss, holding her tightly around the waist, not wanting to let her go. This was the first time I had ever held a woman this way, yet my body had reacted accordingly, almost moving on its own. The kiss slowly grew more passionate as Lucia took control. I had never done this before, and was perfectly willing to let her. The two of us became lost in the moment. Lucia finally pulled away, panting slightly, still holding on to my neck. She smiled at me, and I smiled back, the truest smile I had ever shown anyone.

The peace of the moment was broken as a low rumbling broke out in the streets, followed by the screams of the people. Her expression quickly changed to alarm as she pulled out her fan and looked around. I unsheathed my sword, and looked around quickly as well. She looked at me and nodded. "Let's go." And with that, the two of us ran off into battle, making our way back to meet up with Yuri and the others. If I had known that the events that would follow that day would prevent me from ever being with her, I would of made my feelings more clearly known. Our battles never gave us anytime alone, and in the end, we were separated.

I keep telling myself that it won't be forever. That I will find her again someday. I had to. She was the first woman to uncover these feelings within me. She was the first woman I had ever loved, and that kind of love is everlasting.

Author: And there you have it. A cute, fluffy little piece. I don't know how many actual people like this pairing or whatever, but it's what I thought could've happened. So yeah, review and let me know what you think.


End file.
